Page 45 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
The one on the left was a game room of sorts. Paddles and a ball sat atop a table for table tennis. Over in a corner was a green felt-topped table with a deck of cards and playing chips. A TV hung on the wall, a few gaming consoles connected, and Tessa knew without a doubt that this room was mainly for Axelwhen he came here. If she were to look, she was sure she’d find a phone somewhere that was connected to the sound system to play his music.
Crossing the passage to the other room, she stopped in the doorway. The decor here was the same as the rest of the cave. Overstuffed leather furniture. A cozy hearth. A rug to warm the space. A round table off to the side with a few chairs while a long, low table sat among the furniture. This space was for Theon, and she’d taken several steps into the room before she’d even realized she had moved. The low lighting Tristyn had turned on cast a soothing glow around the room, and she made her way to a lamp on an end table. Turning the switch, it illuminated the space further to allow for reading.
“I had a feeling this was the room we’d end up in, but I didn’t want to assume,” Tristyn said, sliding around her and plopping onto the sofa.
“You know what happens when we assume,” Tessa murmured. Gods, she could swear she could stillsmellTheon in here. And Luka. Both of them. Together.
This was her new favorite room.
Tristyn huffed a laugh at her comment as he pulled a lighter from his pocket and lit the roll of lull-leaf he’d placed between his lips. All Tessa could think about was how ridiculous it was that a deity had to use a lighter. Then again, she would have to do the same, she supposed.
“Sorry I crushed the other one,” she said.
“As if I don’t have more,” he replied with a wink, reaching for the remote on the end table.
She thought it was for the television, but when he clicked the power button, the fireplace sprang to life. Her head snapped to the flames, and she lurched forward. Crouching down, she didn’t stop until her face and hands were less than an inch from the glass.
“Fucking Fates, Tessa,” Tristyn yelped, suddenly at her side and trying to pull her back.
But she shrugged him off, instead dropping to her hands and knees as she crawled along the expanse of the fireplace.
“Always trapped,” she murmured, the flames licking at the glass. At each other. Oranges and reds. Yellows and blues. Writhing in every direction trying to find a way out. But if they escaped, there would be nothing but destruction as they devoured and fed and took and took and took.
There had to be a balance.
Tristyn had sat back on his heels, watching her, and when she stopped crawling around only to roll onto her back and stare up at the ceiling, he took the spot beside her, doing the same. Their shoulders butted up against each other, and Tessa gritted her teeth as the thing inside her sat up straighter, inching closer to the surface.
Shoving it back down with a shudder, she reached over, plucking the lull-leaf from his lips and taking a drag. It was a terrible idea. If she became too relaxed, her control could slip. Or worse, she’d fall asleep.
“You owe me a story,” she sang while the plant did its job, the tension easing from her limbs.
“I was hoping you’d forget,” he muttered, taking the lull-leaf back from her and sucking in another deep drag.
“I don’t forget anything,” she replied.
“That’s not true,” he answered, a grim note in his tone. “But that’s not entirely your fault.”
Unsure of what that meant, she stayed silent, her fingers winding into the fabric of her dress.
“I’ve been waiting for you for a very long time, but when you?—”
“That’s not how stories start,” she interrupted, lifting a hand and letting power pool there. That gave her more relief than the lull-leaf did.
She could feel Tristyn watching her magic, could feel him tensing despite the lull-leaf in case he needed to counteract her gifts. Or try to at least.
And still she waited because he knew what she meant.
She heard him swallow thickly before clearing his throat. “In all things there must be balance. Beginnings and endings. Light and dark. Fire and shadows.”
“The sky, the sea, the realms,” she whispered in kind.
“I’d been waiting for you,” he continued. “Not to use you like you believe, but you are the ticket to my salvation, Tessa. That is not the story I wish to tell you though. I wish to tell you a story aboutyou.”
She hummed, contemplating, but finally she nodded. As much as she wished to know his story, she wanted these answers more.
“Your arrival in this realm had been prophesied for centuries,” he said, settling in once more. He took another pull from the lull-leaf before passing it to her. “And whenever someone finds their way to Devram, they are met by a Keeper.”
“I know this story,” she cut in.
